This May we the combined forces of the Leipzig Gewandhaus and Boston Symphony Orchestra come together for one of the most comprehensive examinations of the works of Dmitri Shostakovich, on the 50th anniversary of his death.
Under the direction of Gewandhauskapellmeister Andris Nelsons and rising star conductor Anna Rakitina, the Gewandhausorchester, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a Shostakovich Festival Orchestra - created especially for the festival, comprising members of the Mendelssohn Orchestra Academy and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra - will interpret a wealth of Shostakovich’s phenomenal music. An unsurpassed roster of world-class artists including Daniil Trifonov, Gautier Capuçon, Baiba Skride & Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider will feature in the extensive chamber music series while Kristine Opolais will lead the cast of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at the Leipzig Opera, conducted by Andris Nelsons.
As well as exploring the musical history of Leipzig (including the homes of Mendelssohn & Schumann and Bach's life in the city) we will venture further afield to Dresden, Wittenberg, Halle and Weimar during our stay.
THERE IS ALSO THE OPTION TO ADD A FURTHER 6 NIGHTS HOTEL AND 10 FURTHER CONCERTS ON AN UNESCORTED BASIS TO COMPLETE THE CYCLE - SEE SEPARATE TOUR LISTING
Here's the complete line-up of included performances and artists:
Thursday May 15 1930h FESTIVAL OPENING CONCERT
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Andris Nelsons
Daniil Trifonov, piano
Festive Overture, Op. 96
Piano Concerto No. 2 in F, Op. 102
Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43
Friday May 16 1500h
Between Variety and Propaganda
Salonorchester CAPPUCCINO
Albrecht Winter, violin and host
Shostakovich stage and incidental music
Friday May 16 1930h
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons
Baiba Skride, violin
Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77/99
Symphony No. 11, Op. 103, The Year 1905
Saturday May 17 1500h
Quatuor Danel
Marc Danel, violin; Gilles Millet, violin; Vlad Bogdanas, viola; Yovan Markovitch, cello
String Quartet No. 2 in A, Op. 68
String Quartet No. 9 in E-flat, Op. 117
Saturday May 17 1930h
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons
Gautier Capuçon, cello
Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat, Op. 107
Symphony No. 8 in C, Op. 65
Sunday May 18 1100h
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Andris Nelsons
Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54
Symphony No. 15 in A, Op. 141
Sunday May 18 1500h
Quatuor Danel
Marc Danel, violin; Gilles Millet, violin; Vlad Bogdanas, viola; Yovan Markovitch, cello
Gewandhaus-Quartett (String Octet, Op. 11): Frank-Michael Erben, violin; Yun-Jin Cho, violin; Vincent Aucante, viola; Valentino Worlitzsch, cello
String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat minor, Op. 138
Two Pieces for String Octet, Op. 11
String Quartet No. 5 in B-flat, Op. 92
Sunday, May 18 1930h
Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, violin
Daniil Trifonov, piano
Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 12
Piano Sonata No. 2 in B minor, Op. 61
Unfinished Violin Sonata
Violin Sonata, Op. 134
Monday May 19 1930h
Festival Orchestra, Anna Rakitina
Gautier Capuçon, cello
Cello Concerto No. 2, Op. 126
Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47
Tuesday May 20 1930h
Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, violin
Gautier Capuçon, cello
Daniil Trifonov, piano
Piano Trio No. 1 in C minor, Op. 8
Cello Sonata in D minor, Op. 40
Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor, Op. 67
Wednesday May 21 1930h
Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider and Baiba Skride, violins
Antoine Tamestit; viola
Gautier Capuçon, cello
Daniil Trifonov, piano
Viola Sonata, Op. 147
Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57
Saturday May 24 1500h
Quatuor Danel
Marc Danel, violin; Gilles Millet, violin; Vlad Bogdanas, viola; Yovan Markovitch, cello
String Quartet No. 6 in G, Op. 101
String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 122
String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110
Saturday May 24 1930h
Festival Orchestra (Chamber Symphony), Boston Symphony Orchestra, Gewandhausorchester, Andris Nelsons
Chamber Symphony in C minor, Opus 110a (orch. Barshai)
Symphony No. 7 in C, Op. 60, Leningrad
Sunday May 25 11am
MDR Radio Chorus, Philipp Ahmann, director
Maki Namekawa and Dennis Russell Davies, pianos
Dmitri Shostakovich
Die Treue, eight ballads for men’s chorus, Op. 136
Antiformalist Rajok (aka Learner’s Manual), satirical cantata for basses and mixed chorus with piano
Concertino in A minor for Two Pianos, Op. 94
Igor Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms, for chorus and piano 4 hands (arr. Shostakovich)
Sunday May 25 17h Leipzig Opera
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, opera in 4 acts, Op. 29
Andris Nelsons, music director
Kristīne Opolais, soprano (Katerina Izmailova)
Pavel Černoch, tenor (Sergei)
Dmitry Belosselskiy, bass (Boris Izmailov)
Matthias Stier, tenor (Zinovy Izmailov)
Chorus of Leipzig Opera
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Sung in Russian with English & German supertitles
Following our Mahler visit in 2023 we return to the 4* Adina Aparthotel, set in the heart of the historic city and less than 10 minutes walk (700m) from the Gewandhaus. Each of the stylish and spacious studio rooms (25 – 29sqm) are equipped with combined living room and bedroom (king or twin beds), fully equipped kitchen with microwave, stove, dishwasher and fridge plus private bathroom with walk-in shower, flat screen TV and washing machine and dryer. The superior studios have a nespresso machine and washing machine/dryer. We think that for a 14 night stay this give you flexibility to be able to have some element of independent catering if you wish. The hotel has a small swimming pool and gym and breakfast buffet is included each morning.
Flights from Manchester, London, Birmingham, Edinburgh via Frankfurt to Leipzig.
Deposit on booking is £1750 per person (this includes the complete ticket subscription)
Balance payment is due 1st March 2025.
